Still Breathing

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Still Breathing Page 18

by Rita Michaels


  “Good morning,” she replied, her voice croaky and hair disheveled. She quickly brushed her hair off her face before taking the mug from him and took a sip. It burned her tongue. He took it back from her.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You can stay in bed if you like,” he said.

  “That I can't do.”

  “I'll be off for training. Two more days,” he said.

  “Yeah, about that. The plan is to meet you there, right?”

  “Right. The fight starts at eight. Please, be there. I would need your support.”

  “I'll be there unfailingly,” Bri said and then rose. She picked up her cup of coffee and took another sip. This time, she didn't set it down until it was finished. “I'm coming to watch you practice. Want to see what you do.”

  “It's nothing more than bodies flying everywhere.” Bri sighed.

  “I hate to watch people fight. I just want to see you fight before the match day just so I would be prepared for what awaits me.”

  “The part you can't bear, you can look away. Your presence is all that matters,” Ethan said, and then kissed her. “Go shower,” he said. “And then get ready. My trainer awaits.”

  It wasn't as bad as she thought, or Ethan made it seem less torturing than she pictured it. He taught her some maneuvers in the ring as if she would ever need to protect herself from a combatant.

  “I would never subject my body to so much stress,” she said to him afterward.

  “That's my bread and butter right there,” he replied, wiping the sweat off his brows. Watching him fight aroused something in her. He looked masculine like Hercules. His chiseled body moved swiftly as he aimed and blocked his opponent.

  “I kind of like watching you fight. You look…” his phone rang. He picked it off the desk he'd placed it, threw his towel over his shoulders and rose. Bri watched. He didn't move far before stopping.

  “What do you want?” was the stern question she heard him ask before a long silence ensued. Bri rose and walked toward him. She placed her hand on his bare shoulder.

  “Who is it?” she asked. He took the phone off his ears and pushed the off button.

  “Someone unimportant.”

  “Christine?”

  He headed back to the bench and sat down.

  “What did she want?” Bri pushed.

  “Something you don't want to bother yourself with. Let it go. I can handle it.”

  “We can handle it you mean? You proposed to me. I’m no longer a girlfriend or a fling. Your problem is now mine, as well mine is yours, so please, don't give me reasons to be suspicious when you could simply tell me what's going on.”

  He sighed. Bri thought she'd exhausted him with her speech. He took her hand in his.

  “Sometimes it's better to be in the unknown zone. Christine is a piece of work. She's like a flea that sucks you until you’re dry, and only I can handle her.”

  “What did she want?”

  “To come for the match. She wanted a VIP ticket.”

  “Then let her have it. I want to speak with her.”

  “No.” Ethan rose. “I would rather you don't come than have the two of you together. I don't want distractions.

  “You won't be distracted.”

  “What do you want to say to her anyway?” he asked, angry.

  “I want to pick her brain, know what's in there, and let her implicate herself.”

  “Leave that to my lawyer. He knows what he's doing.”

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  “Alice,” Bri said. “What's going on? We don't talk anymore.”

  “Been busy,” Alice said. “I gotta go.”

  “Wait. I wanted you to come with me to Ethan's title match. It's just an hour drive and I need a companion. Don't want to fall asleep on the wheel.”

  “Then take a taxi. I'm sorry but am running late. Talk to you later.” The line died. Bri took the phone off her ears and stared at it. What's going on? She thought. Since their return from Fogo, Alice had been acting strangely.

  She didn't visit anymore. Didn't return calls, and only answered when she was running late for something. She was always running late.

  Bri glanced at her wall clock. Five after seven at night.

  It had snowed throughout leaving Bri to wonder if she could make the one hour trip safely. She gulped down the remainder of her coffee, picked up her warmest jacket, searched its pocket for her VIP pass, grabbed her keys and made the sign of the cross before exiting her apartment.

  She stepped outside and then shut her eyes as the cold wind blast across her face. She shuddered and hurried to her car. It would take another few minutes to warm up her car. She had no time to spare. Ethan's fight would begin in less than an hour. She wanted him to see her before he faced his opponent.

  Sliding her hands into her black leather gloves she started the car and drove off instantly. A car pulled out of a Portuguese store right opposite her apartment. It accelerated until it positioned itself right behind the Nissan Sentra.

  It had been a busy day for Bri. She turned on the stereo to keep her awake. The two cups of coffee she drank did her disfavor. She threw frequent glances at her dashboard, her heart racing. I promised to be there early Bri scolded herself. To avoid traffic, she took the country road and then accelerated. Brittany accelerated as well.

  Instinctively, Bri glanced at her rear view mirror and noticed that the same car had been tailgating her for over twenty minutes now. She overlooked it but thought to keep a tab on it.

  She arrived at a point where the road divided, hoping the car would divert somewhere else, but it continued on the same route as she was driving. Her brow furrowed. She reached for her purse sitting on the passenger seat and slide her hand into it, searching for her phone.

  Brittany noticed Bri had been slightly distracted from her driving. She accelerated, almost hitting her. Bri gasped and honked.

  “What is she doing?” Bri shouted in her car. “Is she drunk?” Brittany smiled, even showed some teeth. This is intentional, Bri thought and cleared to the roadside. Brittany stopped, too, but didn't come out. Bri glanced at her dashboard. Ten minutes to eight. Her eyes burned with tears.

  She restarted the car and got back on the road. Whatever this drunk wanted, she'd hand it to her, she was thinking when Brittany accelerated, her tires screeching on the tarred road. Bri turned to look in horror as Brittany drove beside her on the right. She jerked her steering, hitting Bri and pushing her to the side of the road.

  Bri glanced from both the maniac to the ditch now on her right.

  “What's wrong with you?” she yelled. “You want to get us killed?” Brittany only smiled, and then the smile faded.

  “Stay away from Ethan. He belongs to Christine,” Brittany shouted.

  Christine! Bri thought before she found herself careening down the ditch lined up with tall trees. She thought she saw a hiking trail within what seemed like a forest to her. She shut her eyes as she felt her car suspended in the air, knowing she'd never open them again.

  39

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  Brittany drove another twenty minutes to a junkyard. She hopped out of the running car and ran to an ex-convict awaiting her. She'd paid him to confiscate the car. He waited while he got the car crusher ready, with a smile spread across his face, and a strange ululation, he flattened the car to a pancake. Brittany rubbed her hands with anxiety.

  “Thank you,” she said, shaking his hand. She dug into her purse and pulled out an envelope. “Here's your balance. The man bowed saying his thanks and Brittany ran out of the dark junkyard.

  Ethan stepped into the ring. He glanced at Bri's empty seat before the first-round bell rung. He fought hard trying to forget Bri should be there but wasn't. He had called her phone at exactly five to eight without an answer.

  “Don't worry about her,” his coach advised. She could be in traffic, or there’s probably a gridlock on the road because of the snow.”
<
br />   “But she isn't answering her phone,” Ethan said, worried.

  “It’s possible her battery died,” his trainer said. They always had an explanation for something going amiss.

  Ethan had gone to the ring unhappy. His coach tried cheering him up, but that didn't help. Halfway through the second round, Ethan’s phone rang non-stop. Unable to take it anymore, his coach answered the call. He threw a quick glance at Ethan and then turned his back against him.

  “What hospital again?” he listened and took notes. “We'll be there in about….” He turned his wrist to where his watch's face sat. “forty minutes, give or take.” He ended the call and stood. His brow furrowed.

  Thirty minutes later, Ethan won by a tap out. His face bloodied. He smiled at his coach who smiled back. Ethan hopped down and gave his coach a hug. He handed his belt to his coach as well.

  “She didn't show up?” Ethan asked, wiping his face before an on-site doctor attended to him.

  “No,” his coach said. “She won't be showing up.”

  “What do you mean?” Ethan said.

  “Bri had an accident on her way….”

  “She what? Who told you, when did you hear about this?” He rose.

  “Ethan, you have to sit down let me stitch you up,” the doctor advised.

  “I need to go see her. Where is she at?”

  “Not like this. You're bleeding all over the place,” his coach said.

  Then stitch me up fast,” he yelled. He turned to his coach. “What's her state?”

  “She was in a coma when I got the call on your phone.”

  “Are we done?” He turned to the doctor.

  “Almost, the doctor said, working hastily.

  “You know what, forget about it.” He rose. “Take me where she is.”

  “Ethan…,” his coach continued.

  “I insist.”

  Ethan walked to the ward Bri's body laid.

  “She hasn't moved since they brought her in,” one of the nurses said. “But she's breathing.”

  Ethan stared at her lifeless body. The doctor walked in and tried his best to make light of the situation at hand, none of them, Ethan and his MMA family was amused.

  “Tell me as it is,” Ethan said, not mincing words. “I’m her fiancé.”

  “She had a broken hip and a scapula.”

  “Can she walk again?” Ethan asked.

  “Nothing is impossible,” the doctor said. “She'd need a lengthy rehabilitation before she can return to almost her normal self.”

  “You mean she might never be the same again?”

  “Possibly,” the doctor said.

  “Her memory,” Ethan said.

  “We can only determine that when she awakens, other than that, we play a waiting game.”

  Ethan's eyes scanned Bri’s bruised body. He looked away before asking the next question.

  “Who is responsible for her care. She needs to be cleaned up. We can't leave her looking like this.”

  “The Support Workers will handle that,” the doctor said with a smile as if proud of the services his hospital can offer. “A quick question,” he said. “Is there a next of kin we could contact for a background information on her medical history?”

  “None. They are all dead,” Ethan replied.

  “That's sad,” the doctor said. He placed his hand on Ethan's shoulder. “We'll try our best and bring her back to you. She'll be fine,” he said.

  “Thanks,” Ethan said. “I'm counting on you.”

  “Christine,” Brittany yelled as she stepped into her apartment. “It's over!”

  “Did you succeed?” she asked, searching Brittany’s eyes.

  “She died. I pushed her off the road into the ditch.”

  “Did you see her body wheeled out and placed in the ambulance?” The excitement died. Brittany’s eyes bulged.

  “Did you want me to sit and wait for the police to tell me she was dead?” Brittany asked, shocked.

  “She's not dead then,” Christine said. She slumped into her chair.

  “Why can't you be happy for once,” Brittany said, irritated.

  “Why should I be happy at your incompetence.”

  “After all, I've done for you? You treat me like trash. You eat my food, sleep on my bed, for what? Tell me. Am not your only cousin. Why do I stick around you anyway? What do you do for me except get me in trouble?”

  “Are you done?” Christine asked. Brittany glared.

  “I just killed a human being for you.”

  “Then you're done.” She rose and headed to the bedroom. Brittany watched. Christine re-emerged with her suitcase.

  “I'm heading back to Newfoundland.”

  “Of course you are. As usual. I do the crime, you take the credit and hide while I suffer the consequences. I wish you a happy life.”

  Christine dragged her luggage and walked out the door. No sooner had she left than Brittany locked the door. She threw her purse on the couch and pulled out her phone and dialed 911.

  “I want to report a murder,” she began and then gave Christine's full details as much as she could. When asked her name, she dropped the call and then panicked.

  Mon Dieu! What have I done,” she said, grasping her head. She walked a full circle around her living room and stopped. “I'm dead.”

  40

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  Two weeks later

  Ethan sat by Bri's bedside and watched like he'd done for the past two weeks. He whispered in her ears. Saying beautiful words and reminding her of their plan to be together. He kissed her when he came and when he left and made sure her skin was taken care of and intact.

  Her aunt had passed on after hearing of her accident but couldn't visit. Ethan debated on how to announce the news to her. It was her last known family member. He stuck around her, waiting to be there when she first opened her eyes.

  He wanted to be the first person she saw after two weeks in darkness. He coughed, his voice hoarse. He had the flu but he wouldn't stay home despite his mother's plea. She'd learned to love Bri because of her son.

  Ethan turned to the door upon hearing footsteps approaching and then gasped when Flo walked in.

  “Hi,” he said, elated. “I'm glad you came. Thank you.”

  “You're welcome,” Flo said, her smile turning to concern. “How is she?”

  “Hanging in there. She's a tough cookie.”

  “Don't I know that?” Flo said, and turned back to Bri. She set her purse on the other empty chair close to Bri's bed and then bent over her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Her eyes teared up.

  “Bri,” she whispered into her ears. “It's me, Flo.” She waited, and then repeated. “Bri, I have a return ticket home. I must see your eyes before I leave, or we might never meet again.” Ethan watched.

  “I did all I could and said all I could say just to see her blink an eye. Christmas is in the corner,” Ethan said. I don't want her here for Christmas. It would tear my heart apart.

  “She'll be with us for Christmas,” Flo said. “We won't lose her.”

  He rose and walked to the other side of her bed. He sat beside her and then whispered in her ears.

  “Bri, please, hear my voice and come back to me; to Sasha, and your friends. We need you. Remember Sasha's ashes rest on your dresser. You wouldn't want anyone to have possession of it other than you.” He waited and then rose and headed to the door exit. Bri's eyeballs moved. Flo gasped and watched quietly, fearful of making a sound or it might change everything. Bri's eyes flickered and then sprang open. Flo jumped.

  “Ethan, look!”

  Ethan turned around and gaped.

  “Bri, Is she awake!” he said, rushing to her side. He halted for a moment and held her gently in his arms. “You're back,” he said. Bri didn't move her limbs, but tears ran down her eyes. Flo cried. Ethan wiped of Bri's tears. He turned to Flo.

  “Please get the nurse,” he said and then rested his head on her chest. She raised an arm and placed it on his head. />
  “It's me, Ethan. Do you remember me?” he asked. She nodded yes. He kissed her.

  Two nurses hurried in with Flo. Ethan rose to let them examine Bri.

  “The doctor will be here soon,” one of them said, and then congratulated as well as commend him for his patience and resilience.

  Two days later, Bri was discharged. Ethan took her home.

  41

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  Bri stood by the window and watched flurries of snow that drifted in the air before landing on whatever surface caught them. She watched people hurry into their cars as they headed for the morning mass. She smiled. She, too, had everything to be thankful for.

  Christine was held at the airport and then taken to the police station where she was questioned. She'd initially denied every claim until exhausted by the investigator before breaking down.

  She implicated Brittany who was arrested and then implicated many others. Bri was cleared of her shoplifting case and her record destroyed.

  Although she would never walk on the runway again due to her injuries, but justice was served. Her accident vindicated her and brought all her perpetrators to book. Alicia visited after the accident but never came around Bri anymore. Bri tried to fix their friendship without success. She let go.

  She mourned and buried her aunt a few days to Christmas, and then with Ethan's help, headed to the closest river to set Sasha free by scattering her ashes. She wept bitterly as she let go, promising to keep her memory forever. It was her only way to find true happiness again.

  Ethan walked and stood behind her. He wrapped his hand around her little baby bump. Despite the intensity of her accident, her growing baby survived through her artificial feeding tube at the hospital.

  She turned around and held him.

  “I'm hungry,” she said, nestling her head in his chest.

  “I've got your favorite donut ordered, and mom is cooking Christmas dinner,” Ethan said before leading her away from the window.

  He helped her sit on the couch and raised her feet up. He leaned and kissed her.

 

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